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‘Sexual violence’ allegation rocks Greens
New South Wales state Greens MP Jenny Leong has used parliamentary privilege to accuse her party colleague, Jeremy Buckingham, of “an act of sexual violence” against a former Greens employee. Speaking in the NSW Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, Leong urged the state Greens “to act so that he is no longer a representative or member of the Greens”. Leong’s statement was supported by federal senator Mehreen Faruqi, former federal senator Lee Rhiannon and NSW upper house Green David Shoebridge. In April, former employee Ella Buckland complained to the state Greens that Buckingham, who sits in the upper house of NSW Parliament, had groped her in 2011. A report from a workplace investigation consultant released in September found “insufficient evidence … that the physical incident alleged occurred”. In a statement on Tuesday, Buckingham denied Buckland’s allegation and said he would not step down …